Oven door mounting means



May 10, 1966 M. E. FRY

OVEN DOOR MOUNTING MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 8, 1964 INVENTOR. Millard E. F ry His Attorney May 10, 1966 M. E. FRY

OVEN DOOR MOUNTING MEANS Filed June 8, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

INVENTOR. Millard E. Fry

May 10, 1966 M. E. FRY

OVEN DOOR MOUNTING MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 8, 1964 INVENTOR.

F u m m m A H s M m United States Patent 3,258,267 OVEN DOOR MOUNTING MEANS Millard E. Fry, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporafion, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 8, 1964, Ser. No. 373,328 Claims. (Cl. 126-191) This invention relates generally to oven doors of the drop type which are hinged along the bottom thereof and swing outwardly and downwardly from a vertical closed position through a horizontal open position to a vertical out-of-the-way position.

As built-in appliances have become more popular, there has been greater concentration of effort in improving the cleanability of built-in ovens. The extended oven door has always been a problem in providing accessibility to the interior of the oven. For this reason mechanisms, such as taught in the patent to Carnahan et al., 3,049,115, have been provided to permit the oven door to be lowered to an out-of-the-way position so that it is easier to reach into the oven cavity for cleaning the liner. This invention is directed to an improved and simplified drop-door mechanism of the type taught in the aforesaid patent.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved mechanism for controlling an oven door of the drop type.

It is another object of this invention to provide a nonflexible, permanently attached support arm arrangement for retaining an oven door in selected positions and including latch means which can be finger actuated to release the door for travel to an out-of-the-way position.

A further object of this invention is the provision in a drop door oven of a solid door support arm pivotally at tached at one end thereof to the door, spring yieldably at tached to said oven at the other end thereof and formed at said other end with a shepherds crook to facilitate the move-ment of said door to its dropped position while requiring only a small additional stretch of the spring.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat schematic perspective view FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side sectional view partly in elevation taken in the direction of line 4-4 in FIGURE 3 to illustrate the oven door support arm and latch in a position to facilitate movement of the oven door into its dropped out-of-the-way position;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 with the oven door support arm and latch in a door closed position;

FIGURE 5 is a side sectional view similar to FIG- URE 2 with the oven door in a horizontal support position (solid line) and in a partially open Broil position (phantom line); and

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the door support arm.

In accordance with this invention and with reference to FIGURE 1, a wall oven 10 includes a liner 1'1 and an insulation retainer 12 spaced from the liner-a Wall oven front panel or frame 13 being adapted to abut the wall in which the oven is installed. A control panel 14 is provided at the top of the oven and an oven door 16 is hingedly mounted at 18 for horizontally downwardly pivotal movement. The oven 16 is provided with ,a pair of interchangeable door positioning mechanisms, shown generally at 20, which permit the oven door -16 selectively to assume a slightly open Broil position 22, a horizontal utensil supporting position (shown in the solid line) and a dropped out-of-theway position 24. With this arrangement solid, flat plate-like support arms 26, 28 support the door throughout its movement, disappearing into the side wall of the oven through apertures 30, 32 in the front frame as the door closes. Where access without obstruction is desired to the interior of the oven 10, door 16 may be dropped to position 24 in accordance with features embodied in the door positioning mechanisms 20 described more fully hereinafter. Each side of the oven 10, insulating retainer 12 for instance, includes a channel 34 for recessing the spring 33 and the support arm when the door is closed. Although the oven door here depicted is shown in connection with a wall oven, it is to be understood that the principles here advanced are equally applicable to drop doors installed on other types of cooking ranges.

Turning now to FIGURES 2 and 3, the door positioning mechanism 20' of this invention is shown comprised of a U-shaped support bracket 40 fastened at one side to the insulation retainer wall 12 as at 41. The bracket 40 is formed of folded up sheet steel to include front wall portions 42, 43, and side walls 44 and 46 forming with said front wall portions a front opening 48 which indexes with the aperture 32, for instance, in the front panel of the oven. Pivotally supported between the sidewalls of the bracket 40 is a latch means 50 for selectively stopping the door support arm in its horizontal door position and a guide means or roller 52 for guiding said door support arm throughout all of its door positions.

The latch means 50 includes a finger grip portion 54 I extending through the openings 48 and 32 for exposure on the front panel 13 of the oven and a stop or resilient blocking portion 56 in the path of the support arm 28. Thus the latch means is in the form of a finger actuated lever pivotable about an axis 60'. When the finger grip portion 54 is pulled out (FIGURE 2), the stop portion 56 is pivoted out of engagement with the support arm 28 so that the door may be dropped to its out-of-the-way position. Note (FIGURE 4) that the door 16 restores the latchmeans 50 to its blocking position by pushing the finger portion 54 inwardly as the door is closed.

The door support arm 28, for example, is formed of a flat piece of sheet metal with a hook end 64 and a shepherds crook end 66. The hook end 64 is pivotally connected at 68 to the door 16 and includes a hump portion 70 which cooperates with the roller 52 in one manner (FIGURE 4) to continuously urge the door into its closed position-the spring 33 pulling on the arm 28 to aid in this operation. The pull of the spring 33 is made adjustable by selecting a particular one of the support arm holes 72 for attaching the spring to the arm. The hump portion 70, when positioned in another manner as shown in phantom (FIGURE 5), holds the door slightly ajar in r the Broil position.

In accordance with this invention the crooked end 66 is formed with a reverse curve terminating in the end which connects to the spring 33. A raised stop 74 extends into engagement with the blocking portion 56 of the latch lever when the door is moved to its horizontal support position (solid line FIGURE 5). By lifting the door slightly from this position and pulling out on the finger portion 54 of the latch lever, the door can then be dropped to its out-of-the-way position-the extended recess 76 formed by the shepherds crook receiving the roller 52 as the support arm 28 is withdrawn.

One set of suitable dimensions in inches for the novel drop door support arm of this invention are as 'follows: A12 7 B2% c1 %2; D1 Asr; E% r; F- 1 /41; G2r; H2 %4; J-2 K1 1% Ll5r; M- %4; /1s; P /16 Q /1c /32 S3%4; T- r; U-12%4; V r; W-%-. When th counterbalance spring 33 is connected to the crook end of such an arm, only an additional stretch of approximately 15% is required to move the door the additional 90 from its horizontal position (FIGURE 5) to its dropped outof-the-way position (FIGURE 2). It can be seen that such minimal movement of the spring provides for long spring life and reduced and less expensive spring requirements.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination, casing means defining an oven having an opening, a door for closing said opening, means including an unobstructing hinge for supporting said door for pivotal movement throughout substantially 180 While said door is connected to said hinge, door positioning means adjacent said opening, said door positioning means including a selectively pivotable latch means and a rotatable guide means in fixed spaced apart relationship, and means connected to said door throughout all of said pivot-al movement for retaining said door in a closed position, a partly open broil position, a support position and an out-of-the-way position, said last named means including a flat plate-like door support arm between said latch means and said guide means and having a hook end pivotally connected to said door and a shepherds crook end yieldably connected to said casing means, said hook end having means on one side of said support arm engageable in one manner with said guide means for urging said door into said closed position and engageable with said guide means in another manner for retaining said door in said partly open broil position, said crook end having a stop portion on the other side of said support arm engageable with said latch means in one latch position for retaining said door in said support position and having a return bend formed recess portion for receiving said guide means when said latch means is moved from said one latch position out of engagement with said stop portion to permit the movement of said door into said out-of-the-way position.

2. In combination, casing means having an opening, a door for closing said opening, means including hinge means for supporting said door for pivotal movement throughout substantially 180 while said door is connected to said hinge means, door positioning means for determining the position of said door, said door positioning means including a selectively movable latch means and a guide means in predetermined spaced apart relationship, and means connected to said door throughout all of said pivotal movement for retaining said door in a closed position, a partly open position, a support position and an out-of-the-way position, said last named means including a non-yieldable door support arm extending between said latch means and said guide means and having an outer end pivotally connected to said door and a shepherds crook inner end yieldably connected to said casing means, said outer end having means engageable in one manner with said guidemeans for urging said door into said closed position and engageable with said guide means in another manner for retaining said door in said partly open position, said crook end having a stop portion engageable with said latch means for retaining said door in said support position and having a crook formed recess portion for receiving said guide means when said latch means is moved out of engagement with said stop portion to permit the movement of said door into said out-of-the-way position.

3. The combination of claim 2 including spring means between said support arm and said casing means and 4% wherein said support arm at the inner end thereof includes means for adjusting the amount of yield between said support arm and said casing means by adjusting the relationship of said spring means to said support arm.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein said latch means is a limitedly rotatable lever having a resilient portion inside said casing means adapted for engagement with the stop portion of said support arm when said latch means.

. mining the position of said door, said door positioning means including a selectively movable latch means and a guide means in predetermined spaced apart relationship, and means connected to said door throughout all of said pivotal movement for retaining said door in a closed position, a support position and an out-of-the-Way position,

said last named means including a non-yieldable door support arm extending between said latch means and said guide means and having an outer end pivotally connected to said door and a shepherds crook inner end yieldably connected to said casing means, said outer end having means engageable with said guide means for urging said door into said closed position, said crook end having a stop portion engageable with said latch means for retaining said door in said support position and having a crook formed recess portion for receiving said guide means when said latch means is moved out of engagement with said stop portion to permit the movement of said door into said out-of-the-way position.

6. In combination, casing means having an opening, a door for closing said opening, means including hinge means for supporting said door 'for pivotal movement throughout substantially while said door is connected to said hinge means, door positioning means for determining the position of said door, said door positioning means including a selectively movable latch means and a guide means in predetermined spaced apart relationship, and means connected to said door throughout all of said pivotal movement for retaining said door in a closed position, a support position and an out-of-the-way position, said last named means including a non-yieldable door support arm extending between said latch means and said guide means and having an outer end pivotally connected to said door and a shepherds crook inner end yieldably connected to said casing means, said outer end having means engageable with said guide means for urging said door into said closed position, said crook end having a stop portion selectively blocked by said latch means for retaining said door in said support position and having a crook formed recess portion for receiving said guide means when said latch means is not blocking said stop portion thereby to permit the movement of said door into said out-of-theway position.

7. In combination, casing means having an opening, a door for closing said opening, means for supporting said door for pivotal movement throughout substantially 180, door positioning means for determining the position of said door, said door positioning means including a selectively movable latch means, and a guide means in predetermined spaced apart relationship, and means connected to said door throughout all of said pivotal movement for retaining said door in a closed position, a support position and an out-of-the-way position, said last named means including a substantially rigid door support arm extending between said door and said casing means in juxtaposition to said latch means and having an outer curved end pivotally connected to said door and an inner crook-shaped end yieldably connected to said casing means, the curve of said outer curved end facilitating the continuous engagement of said support arm with said guide means as said door moves between said positions and providing means for urging said door into at least one of said positions, said crook-shaped end having a stop portion engageable with said latch means for retaining said door in said support position and having a crook formed recess portion for receiving said guide means when said latch means is moved out of engagement with said stop portion to permit the movement of said door into said out-of-the-way position.

8. The combination of claim 7 including spring means having one end connected to said support arm and its other end connected to said casing means, said one end of said spring means having a spring end location when said door is in said support position which is substantially the same as the spring end location when said door is in said out-ofthe-way position.

9. In combination, casing means having an opening, a door for closing said opening, means for supporting said door for pivotal movement throughout substantially 180, door positioning means for determining the position of said door, said door positioning means including means defining a combination latch and guide means having latched and unlatched conditions, and means connected to said door throughout all of said pivotal movement for retaining said door in a closed position, a support position and an out-of-the-Way position, said last named means including a substantially rigid doorsupport arm extending between said door and said casing means in juxtaposition to said latch and guide means and having a curved outer end pivotally connected directly to said door and an inner crook-shaped end yieldably connected to said casing means, the curve of said outer end and the crook of said crook-shaped end opening on the same side of said door support arm, said crook-shaped end including a stop portion having a first relationship to said latch and guide means when said latch and guide means is in said latched condition for retaining said door in said support position and having a second relationship to said latch and guide means when said latch and guide means is in said unlatched condition to permit the movement of said door into said out-of-the-way position.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said outer end of said door support arm includes means cooperating with said latch and guide means for urging said door into at least one of said positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,046,974 7/1962 Kimberley 126-191 3,049,115 8/1962 Carnahan et a1. 126-191 KENNETH W. SPRAGUE, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, CASING MEANS DEFINING AN OVEN HAVING AN OPENING, A DOOR FOR CLOSING SAID OPENING, MEANS INCLUDING AN UNOBSTRUCTING HINGE FOR SUPPORTING SAID DOOR FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY 180* WHILE SAID DOOR IS CONNECTED TO SAID HINGE, DOOR POSITIONING MEANS ADJACENT SAID OPENING, SAID DOOR POSITIONING MEANS INCLUDING A SELECTIVELY PIVOTABLE LATCH MEANS AND A ROTATABLE GUIDE MEANS IN FIXED SPACED APART RELATIONSHIP, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DOOR THROUGHOUT ALL OF SAID PIVOTAL MOVEMENT FOR RETAINING SAID DOOR IN A CLOSED POSITION, A PARTLY OPEN BROIL POSITION, A SUPPORT POSITION AND AN OUT-OF-THE-WAY POSITION, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS INCLUDING A FLAT PLATE-LIKE DOOR SUPPORT ARM BETWEEN SAID LATCH MEANS AND SAID GUIDE MEANS AND HAVING A HOOK END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID DOOR AND A SHEPHERD''S CROOK END YIELDABLY CONNECTED TO SAID CASING MEANS, SAID HOOK END HAVING MEAS ON ONE SIDE OF SAID SUPPORT ARM ENGAGEABLE IN ONE MANNER WITH SAID GUIDE MEANS FOR URGING SAID DOOR INTO SAID CLOSED POSITION AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID GUIDE MEANS IN ANOTHER MANNER FOR RETAINING SAID DOOR IN SAID PARTLY OPEN BROIL POSITION, SAID CROOK END HAVING A STOP PORTION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID SUPPORT ARM ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID LATCH MEANS IN ONE LATCH POSITION FOR RETAINING SAID DOOR IN SAID SUPPORT POSITION AND HAVING A RETURN BEND FORMED RECESS PORTION FOR RECEIVING SAID GUIDE MEANS WHEN SAID LATCH MEANS IS MOVED FROM SAID ONE LATCH POSITION OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STOP PORTION TO PERMIT THE MOVEMENT OF SAID DOOR INTO SAID OUT-OF-THE-WAY POSITION. 